GLENMARY
HOME MISSIONERS
We are a Catholic society of priests and Brothers who, along with numerous coworkers, establish the Catholic Church in small-town and rural America. Founded in 1939 by Father William Howard Bishop, Glenmary is the only religious community devoted exclusively to serving the spiritually and materially poor in the rural US home missions. Today, supported entirely through freewill offerings, we staff missions and ministries throughout Appalachia and the South.
Glenmary missioners serve in areas where frequently less than one percent of the population is Catholic, a significant percentage have no church affiliation, and the poverty rate is often twice the national average. Glenmary is known for respecting the many cultures encountered in the home missions. Our missionary activity includes building Catholic communities, fostering ecumenical cooperation, evangelizing the unchurched, social outreach, and working for justice.
GLENMARY CHALLENGE
Our quarterly magazine has three goals: to educate Catholics about the US home missions, to motivate young men to consider Glenmary priesthood or brotherhood, and to invite all Catholics to respond to their baptismal call to be missionary by partnering with Glenmary as financial contributors, prayer partners, professional coworkers, and/or volunteers.
Glenmary Challenge is sent to all donors, to US diocesan clergy, and to anyone who requests it. (To begin receiving issues, use the contact information below.)
GLENMARY HOME MISSIONERS
P.O. Box 465618 · Cincinnati, OH 45246-5618
513-874-8900 · 800-935-0975 · challenge@glenmary.org
© 2024, Glenmary Home Missioners. Reprint permission granted upon request.
Christmas Presence
The Winter issue of the Challenge is always a little tricky. It comes to you around Thanksgiving but will be on hand here until Lent. Should we have a Christmas cover each year? Maybe you have an opinion—drop me a note! This year we chose a Marian theme, which seems appropriate for most any time of the year.
Our founder, Father William Howard Bishop, chose Mary in the image of Our Lady of the Fields to protect and inspire Glenmary’s mission to rural America. Since the 1970s we’ve used a simple image of Our Lady, inspired some years ago by a European vendor who sold a little statue depicting her. A few years ago, while a doctoral student in Belgium, Father Aaron Wessman became acquainted with a Ukrainian iconographer. He later commissioned a new rendering, this in classic iconic style. For this issue we commissioned painter and volunteer Glenn McInnes to create multicultural interpretations of Our Lady of the Fields. They accompany Brother Thomas Nguyen’s article on p. 6 in this issue. These new images represent a variety of cultures thriving within and around Glenmary today. They’re fresh. We love them for their missionary spirit, sharing the Gospel among all peoples.
We hope you like them too.
Glenn also painted the illustration on the inside back cover, depicting the Holy Family in Glenmary territory, for our annual Christmas card. Once again, in the missionary spirit, we’re inviting you—and ourselves—to look a bit beyond business as usual and consider where Christ is inviting us. It is a place where each of us can imagine a new future. That is a key to understanding the Incarnation.
Blessed Advent and Merry Christmas!
John Feister, editor JFeister@glenmary.org
VOLUME 88 + NUMBER 4
OUR LADY OF THE FIELDS
Mary, patroness of Glenmary, reveals God's love for rural people in a French apparition that took root in North America.
BY BROTHER THOMAS NGUYEN | PAGE 6
09
11 14 WE GIVE THANKS
By Father Vic Subb
It’s more than Thanksgiving dinner to this Glenmarian; it’s a sign of the kingdom of God.
MISSION TO GEORGIA
By Daniel Markham
The locals have never seen anything like these two joyful, energetic Sisters.
A NEW BISHOP FOR A CHANGING CHURCH
By Omar Cabrera
The bishop of Knoxville has a message for those who live and serve in the rural areas of the United States: “You are important!”
Publisher: Father Dan Dorsey
Editor: John Feister
Assistant Editors: Laney Blevins, Omar Cabrera, Theresa Nguyen-Gillen
Design: E + R Design Studio
Planning-Review Board
Chris Phelps, Lucy Putnam, Father Vic Subb, Father Richard Toboso, Father Aaron Wessman
ON THE COVER
The Virgin Mary has appeared throughout the world, each time with a message. Our Lady of the Fields compels us to appreciate people, of all races, in rural places.
Photo by John Feister
Photo courtesy of The East Tennessee Catholic by Patrick Murphy-Racey
Photo by John Feister
TIMES CHANGE, NEEDS DON’T
from
the president Father Dan Dorsey
On a brisk fall evening in October of 1980 I did something I had never done before and would never do again: I went racoon hunting! For seven hours that night, I went walking hills and hollers in Magoffin County in Eastern Kentucky.
Some background might be helpful. I was in year two of my first mission assignment in Eastern Kentucky after ordination. The “parish” that pastor Father Tom McElhinney and I were serving consisted of six counties—a larger area than the state of Delaware! The main church was in Morehead (Rowan County) while two smaller chapels in West Liberty (Morgan County) and Owingsville (Bath County) served the surrounding counties.
At the top of the hill in West Liberty sat one of our mission churches: Prince of Peace Chapel—a converted double-wide trailer.
Sunday Mass attendance at Prince of Peace varied from 35 to 50 people depending on the weather. Even a small amount of snow or a heavy rain rendered the chapel inaccessible.
One family in particular were “every others”—that is, they would attend Mass every other Sunday or so no matter what the weather. They lived just outside of Salyersville, in Magoffin County. One particular Sunday as people were congregating outside after Mass, I overheard some of the men talking about going raccoon hunting the upcoming week. I did not have a clue of what I was getting myself into, but I wanted to get to know them better than simply a fleeting conversation. I asked if it would be ok if I tagged along. They smiled and one said with a devilish grin, “Of course!”
And so on the following Thursday I drove to a designated spot, met the small group at 10 pm, and then watched as they unloaded their dogs. For the next seven hours we walked up and down the hills, stopping only briefly in the middle of the night to build a fire and warm ourselves.
It was a night I will never forget!
“Have you ever heard a prettier thing in your life?”
One experience, however, stands out and captures the whole night. About an hour into the hunt with the dogs barking in the distance— the sound echoing throughout the hills—one of the men turned to me and said, “Have you ever heard a prettier thing in your life?”
Photo by John Feister
The Catholic chapel in Morgan County, Kentucky, was made of two connected mobile homes. Father Dan was associate pastor.
That October walk through the hills and hollers was instructive on many levels but most important was: a missioner must be cross-cultural. In a metaphorical sense we as missioners walk with those in our missions and simply listen to who they are and learn what they value.
This edition of the Challenge is dedicated to the multicultural makeup of Glenmary and our mission. On the cover are four images of Our Lady of the Fields as seen through the lens of distinct cultures: African, South American, Asian, and European. I invite you to take a moment and meditate on each of these images to see the unique beauty of each depiction.
Some of our congregations reflect the multicultural and universal nature of our Catholic Church: families are from the United States, Mexico, Philippines, Italy,
Peru, El Salvador, Vietnam, and India. For example, Holy Trinity Church in Eastern North Carolina is small by most Catholic standards—70 families. But each of those cultures is there.
Let me conclude with another story. I spent nine years as a mission pastor in southeast Arkansas. One of my ministries was being part of a group that started the Oasis Homeless Shelter in Warren, Arkansas. For five years I chaired its board of directors.
On a cold, gray December day I conducted a funeral service for a local man who had recently been a resident at the Oasis shelter. He was not Catholic, nor were any of the handful of people who gathered for the graveside service. As I looked around the group I thought to myself— different cultures, all ages, various stories this is exactly what it means to be a missioner!
Glenmary News & Notes
David Henley ran in a 5K supporting the local food pantry in his first post-vocations assignment.
VOCATIONS / Missioner awarded
People Are Noticing
On November 3, Brother David Henley received an Outstanding Recognition Award from the National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC). The award is given to members who provide leadership, innovation, and example to vocation directors of all religious communities.
He was nominated for his broad reach via social media and his practice of traveling widely to recruit potential Glenmarians. Over the past 14 years Brother David has posted more than 500 articles on Glenmary’s website, cultivated a list of 4,000 followers on Facebook, shared 115 videos on a vocations YouTube channel, and shared 800 posts with 1,600 Instagram followers. Along the way he’s visited 43 states, wearing out three cars over 300,000 miles.
Brother David’s new assignment is in Martin County, North Carolina, where he is involved in community outreach ministries—and vocations work on the side!
Brother
Photo by Father Vijaya Katta
New on the Web
OUTREACH / Flood relief
Devastating flood in East Tennessee
On September 29, St. Michael the Archangel parish donated the food made for their feast day celebration and served about 200 people in the community, located in Unicoi County, Tennessee. After Hurricane Helene the county and surrounding areas experienced a devastating flood that left residents without power or water and with several dozen people still missing. Three parishioners from St. Michael are counted among the deceased.
As the flood subsided, the church quickly mobilized to collect donations, remove fallen trees from yards, and hosted a prayer service. They became one of the town’s few distribution sites that offered fresh food and basic household goods on a daily basis at no cost. They hosted St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic, a diocesan ministry to provide healthcare to the underserved, and the Mexican Consulate, which provided around 650 people with replacement IDs for those that were lost in the flood.
Glenmary donors from across the country have graciously answered the call to help; as this issue went to press, more than $196,000 had been donated for disaster relief. These funds are directly supporting St. Michael in their efforts to provide assistance, including food, diapers, rebuilding, and other relief costs. On behalf of St. Michael, thank you to all those who have given. To continue supporting disaster relief efforts, please visit glenmary.org/donate
Glenmary Home Missioners is pleased to announce the launch of our newly redesigned website at Glenmary. org! After working closely with Heroic Strategies on the new layout and functionality, the beautiful site is available now. The intuitive layout aims to aid the user in their experience, for whatever reason they’re visiting: volunteering, donating, vocations, or maybe just to read the latest Glenmary news or sign up for daily reflections. The new Glenmary.org makes it easy to connect and engage! Join us in our mission to spread Christ’s love today. Visit us at Glenmary.org
Photo by Marco Tavares
TOP: Water from the Nolichucky River in Erwin, TN, rose over 24 feet. BOTTOM: Volunteers carried water into St. Michael's religious education building, set up as a relief distribution site.
Photo by Brother Corey Soignier
JUSTICE / Crisis in the fields
Father Vic helps strained migrant workers
When the bad weather ruined watermelon fields in Eastern North Carolina, migrant farmworkers lost their jobs and didn’t get a salary for over a month. With their families back in Mexico waiting for economic support and without any savings in the United States, these laborers struggled to get food.
“The watermelons rotted and there was no work for us for almost five weeks,” says Jonathan, one of the workers. The field is located about 10 minutes from one of the Glenmary missions in North Carolina. “The contractor has a fund that helped us for about two weeks, but after that, Father Vic bought food for us.”
Father Vic Subb, the pastor of the Glenmary St. Joan of Arc mission in Plymouth, had been visiting the workers for a time before the watermelon production was ruined. “At the beginning, people didn’t want to talk to me,” Father Vic says, with a smile. “They went from not having any trust to trusting me and feeling comfortable. It took consistency and being willing to help.”
Father Vic and Glenmary Deacon Cavine Okello met with the workers at a local supermarket and purchased food for them during their time of crisis. “He helped us for about three weeks,” Jonathan adds. “There was one time when the 35 of us went and the Father spent about $1,500 on food for us.”
In October, the temporary migrants began to work in a sweet potato field, property of the same company that employs them. But they remain grateful to the Glenmary pastor. “We are very thankful to Father Vic because he did a huge favor to us,” Jonathan says. Father Vic, on the other hand, is happy that he was able to help the laborers. “One of the guys, who is 29 years of age, has not done first Communion and he wants to do it,” Father Vic says. “We also hope that they join us for our upcoming Thanksgiving dinner at the parish.”
around the missions
NOVICES IN THE FIELD
Our five novices are in the midst of their mission assignments: four and a half months of experiencing the missions and learning the Glenmary way of life. Evarist Mukama is one of those novices, living in Blakely, Georgia. He has joined Holy Family’s ministry at the local nursing home and brought joy to residents with his piano playing.
DIVINE SAVIOR CELEBRATION
Divine Savior mission in Clay County, Tennessee, celebrated the 37th anniversary of its church founding on October 12. A Glenmary mission since 2012, the community held a special Mass and dinner with Nashville’s Bishop J. Mark Spalding.
MISSION HELPING MISSION
Holy Trinity mission in Eastern North Carolina donated a portion of its annual fundraiser to aid our mission in East Tennessee, St. Michael the Archangel, affected by the hurricane flooding. They also collected donations and delivered them (700 miles, round trip!).
ABOVE: Father Vic Subb met with migrant workers to provide them with food.
Photo
Our Lady OF THE FIELDS
Mary, patroness of Glenmary, reveals God's love for rural people in a French apparition that took root in modern North America.
BY BROTHER THOMAS NGUYEN
One of Glenmary’s lesserknown treasures is our devotion to Our Lady of the Fields. But who is she? Why is she the patroness of the Glenmary Home Missioners?
It was St. Denis who first established the chapel to Our Lady of the Fields around 250 AD in what eventually would be Paris, France. At least that’s the story. Legend has it he established a chapel in honor of Mary after taking over a
pagan chapel. In modern-day Paris there is still a chapel dedicated to her. It seems that the North American Martyrs, Glenmary’s patrons, some of the first Catholic missioners to this continent, brought the devotion of Our Lady of the Fields from France.
An alleged apparition of Our Lady of the Fields to Ottawanta (now site of Emmitsburg, Maryland) is at the heart of her American story. I say alleged be-
cause it is unclear if this apparition actually happened. More important is how it ingrained Mary into American Christianity. Our Lady of the Fields resonated with Native American spirituality because she represented beauty in creation.
This apparition effectively sowed Mary into American soil in another way too. She resonated with farmers and those associated with the fields.
The story about this apparition was spreading around Emmitsburg, Maryland, during the 1800s and 1900s. Father William Howard Bishop would have been a diocesan priest near this area (in Clarksville, about 60 miles away).
Modern connections
There are no official records about why Father Bishop chose Our Lady of the Fields as Glenmary’s patroness (he was near death when he did so), but it seems likely the apparition was behind it.
Most likely Father Bishop was looking for a pa-
tron who would resonate with the farmers in rural America. He wanted an image of Mary that could speak to the field workers, the poor.
Just as Our Lady of the Fields made a connection with Native Americans, she continues to speak to the immigrants, field workers, and day laborers in America. Our Lady of the Fields represents all that is beautiful with creation.
Our Lady represents the poor and working class of our society rather than the sophisticated. She speaks to those who dedicate their lives to the fields, working the soil.
She continues to resonate with the Hispanic field workers in our missions. In her there is familiarity because in this image Mary is not depicted as an elevated figure but rather as very human.
Our Lady of the Fields represents a spirituality that is down to earth rather than elevated. She speaks to those who toil in the fields and are forgotten but are an important part of our beautiful nation.
Latin America Africa
New Images of Our Lady of the Fields
There are very few artistic depictions of Our Lady of the Fields, patroness of Glenmary. That’s why we asked painter Glenn McInnes to imagine some for us. How does Our Lady speak not only to the French, but also to other Europeans, to people of African, Latino, or Asian heritage? His images grace this month’s cover. Notice she is always pictured in the fields, holding a local crop that is an area staple.
We asked Glenn to tell us some of what went into these images:
Asia
The hat (Khan Dong) and dress (Ao Dai) are a traditional dress of Vietnam. The Ao Dai, when white in color, represents purity and innocence. The grain is rice.
Latin America
A traditional dress of Andean indigenous women is referred to as a Pollera; the colorful shawl is referred to as a Manta. The grain is quinoa.
Europe
Traditional dress in Ireland often included a long dress, apron, shawl, and cape. The checkered pattern is a tartan—sometimes the pattern represents a family or clan. The grain is barley.
Africa
A traditional way to dress in Nigeria may include a tailored blouse with an iro (wrap skirt), a pele (shawl), and a gele (headwrap). The grain is sorghum.
Devotion to her mends divisions of class and prejudice that are still present in our nation.
What I find amazing about Our Lady of the Fields is how she truly is an American icon. By this I mean that America is seen as a home to immigrants. We are built by immigrants. Our Lady of the Fields is an immigrant too. She continues to sow the seed of Christ into many people's hearts. She continues to inspire many missionaries to come from foreign lands to preach the Gospel to those who are on the fringes of society in the United States. Devotion to her mends divisions of class and prejudice that are still present in our nation. Especially around the Christmas holiday, Our Lady of the Fields can till the tough soil of our hearts so that we can have a home for Christ. Then we’ll be ready, in the spirit of the season, to bring Christ to others.
Glenmary Brother Thomas Nguyen is nearing his Final Oath profession, ministering in Martin County, North Carolina.
We Give Thanks
It’s more than Thanksgiving dinner to this Glenmarian; it’s a sign of the kingdom of God.
BY FATHER VIC
SUBB
For the last 35 years I have had the joy of celebrating Thanksgiving with my parish: That is, I prepare a full turkey dinner for the people of my community. It started many years ago, when I was a novice in Gate City, in the mountains of Southwest Virginia. Fellow novice Jeff and I had an idea to have a community-wide Thanksgiving dinner, but how? We had no money, just a dream.
Miracles happen in the missions! A woman came by the rectory and said, "Can you guys use a turkey?" We told her, “Sure can!” In a few days others stopped by: “I have some potatoes, can you use them?" Then more food was given, and the first community Thanksgiving dinner in Gate City was born. We celebrated at the senior center.
That turkey day was glorious. Many people from all over the county came. We were entertained with live mountain music. There was plenty of food, stories, full stomachs, and smiles. My life as a turkey has begun, I thought with a smile.
Since then, each year that I have lived in a smalltown Glenmary parish, Thanksgiving dinner has been a regular part of my ministry. The celebrations have always been a community outreach. In Crossett,
Arkansas, we prepared meals for shut-ins, taking the place of Meals on Wheels for a day.
As the number of meals climbed to over 200, it became a great ecumenical outreach. The volunteers would come back to church after their deliveries and celebrate with a great meal surrounded by the stories of their visits. One of the meals that I prepared was delivered to a man who died that afternoon. People asked, “Could it have been the meal Father Vic prepared?” I hope not! I only heard that he died with a smile on his face.
TOP: In Virginia, Tennessee, or North Carolina, Father Vic opens his doors for Thanksgiving.
BOTTOM: St. Joan of Arc, where Father Vic is pastor now, enjoyed their their first community Thanksgiving dinner last year.
Photo by Omar Cabrera
Photo by Arlene Carroll
My mission assignment in Swainsboro, Georgia, was a little different. It was more centered with invitations to the elderly or whoever needed a meal. We always had over 100. People would start asking in October if there was a turkey dinner to be offered that year.
Recipe for success
The menu was simple: The first turkey would go in the oven at 4 am. Four or five more turkeys would follow. Then came my famous dressing with potatoes. Oh, and can’t forget green bean casserole, more vegetables and, for Hispanic friends, rich mole! Others would bring food, but I did most of the cooking. It was my gift to the community.
last year!” It is hard work. But as the next year comes I start looking for good prices for turkeys at the local stores. People ask, "How do you make such delicious dinners?” My secret: First thaw out the turkey, wash it well, taking out the giblets inside the turkey, put the turkey in an oven baking bag, and then the oven.
The food is great sometimes, but the blessings as we all sit down together to give thanks to God are the great gifts of this day.
In Lafayette,Tennessee, we would eat at my home. We had three shifts, serving at 12, 3, and 6. I never knew how many would come, so I would cook for over 100. With the new church we could all sit together. The hall would be filled with the homeless, migrant workers from the tobacco fields, people staying at local hotels as well as parish members. I always envision this to be like the heavenly banquet, all different types of people, all children of God united. Alleluia!
After each Thanksgiving I would say, “This is my
It is very simple but people actually take notes. I believe that my dressing is the best, but people say, “What is this?” I tell them it’s "Yankee bread stuffing" with all types of seasonings. It is special—it actually grows overnight! I believe I could feed the world with my dressing.
The food is great sometimes, but the blessings as we all sit down together to give thanks to God are the great gifts of this day. We sit as a community of care, the kingdom of God. Let's do it again!
That’s why, even after swearing it off last year, I now continue the celebration in my current parish, now with the help of my parishioners at St. Joan of Arc, in Plymouth, North Carolina.
Glenmary Father Vic Subb is mission pastor of St. Joan of Arc in Washington County, North Carolina.
A few months after being installed pastor, Father Vic cooked his first Thanksgiving dinner for St. Joan of Arc, in Washington County, North Carolina, in 2023. It's a tradition that Father Vic brings to all of his parishes.
Photo by
Arlene Carroll
Mission to Georgia
The locals have never seen anything like these two joyful, energetic Sisters.
BY DANIEL MARKHAM
The difference between the Kenyan home of Franciscan Sisters Imelda Ngwitu and Ancilla Abonyo and their current location in Southwest Georgia might be even greater than the 12,000 miles that separate them.
The Sisters relocated from an overwhelmingly Catholic culture to a place where the faith remains something of a mystery. They were dropped in a vast, rural community where the public transportation they were familiar with was but a fantasy. Perhaps most meaningfully, they found themselves in an area with much negativity, a sharp contrast to the optimism they had grown up with, even under the often trying circumstances of 20th century East Africa.
Last December, they arrived in Early County, in Southwest Georgia, one of six counties served by the Glenmarians from two churches, Holy Family in Blakely and St. Luke in Cuthbert. The Sisters’ assignment in Blakely is part of an effort by Glenmary in its mission to bring the Catholic faith to those areas of rural America where it has yet to take hold. The Sisters are authorized to stay and work in the US for three years, though that could be extended if desired.
are a
duo
Glenmary reached out to the Sisters’ congregation, the Franciscan Sisters of St. Anna, in their home in Kenya.
Sister Imelda admits to suffering culture shock upon arrival. But she reasoned that she would go wherever she was asked and God would teach her what she needs to know about her new environment.
Franciscan Sister Ancilla Abonyo came from Kenya to Georgia, brimming with joy to serve in Glenmary’s missions.
They
dynamic
who arrived with smiles, skills and a desire to serve God's people in need.
Photo by John Feister
The unfamiliarity also sparked curiosity. Native Georgians intrigued by the presence of the unassuming women were driven to ask about them. So the Sisters get queried where they’re from, what they do, and occasionally, “Are you Muslim?,” the last a byproduct of their unfamiliar dress. In fact, the Sisters have taken to handing out cards that explain exactly who they are.
Reaching the people
In addition to the locals, the Sisters have made an impression on the existing mission community.
And now? “I am happy to be with them. It feels like home already,” she says.
Though determined to jump right into their outreach efforts, the sisters understood as true foreigners they needed to work with Catholic missioners already at the work locally. That includes Deacon Scott Watford, Father Mike Kerin, and Brothers Jason Muhlenkamp and Levis Kuwa, plus existing parishioners. But it didn’t take them long to forge strong bonds with the people in the community, even though many residents only previous exposure to women religious was through the distorted lens of Hollywood.
“They are good missionaries. They’re very personable and approachable and people just love them right away,” says Deacon Scott, who serves as the pastoral coordinator for the mission. “They open doors I wouldn’t be able to open.”
As with any Glenmary community, much of the work is done off the church property, in the neighborhoods, community centers, or any other place where a resident has yet to experience the Catholic faith. Opening the doors to the church and expecting neighbors to flow in is not reality, so the Sisters will attend community meetings or make regular trips to nursing homes.
“When we go to people’s homes when they are sick, they really appreciate that. When we take Communion to the Catholics, and even the non-Catholics who we have visited, they really feel it’s a blessing. That’s a very important ministry in this parish. When we pray, it’s a way of reaching to the poor of Christ. Christ says the poor are mine. It’s not just the poor in the streets, it’s the people who are spiritually poor. That’s very common here. People might have physical wealth, but when they don’t have Jesus, there’s a lot of emptiness,”
Sister Ancilla says.
Sister Imelda spends much of her week with CHope, a Glenmary-associated ministry that does one-on-one and group work helping fight addiction and poverty. Both are far too prevalent in Southwest Georgia. Sister Imelda is particularly well-suited to this ministry, having worked as a counselor back in Kenya.
Working against the Sisters’ ability to serve is the need to drive everywhere. They have tried to rectify that by obtaining driver’s licenses, though they’re still getting up to speed on America’s car culture. Likewise, the Sisters are learning Spanish and Sister Imelda has been adding piano playing to her list of talents, all of this to better serve the people they encoun-
UPPER: Sister Ancilla hands out apples at a local elementary school event.
LOWER: Sister Imelda (second left) ministers in Southwest Georgia with Glenmary Brother Jude and mission parishioners.
Photo by Brother Jude Smith
ter in their duties inside and outside the church.
“They are very flexible, creative, and open to where God is calling them,” describes Brother Jason.
Overcoming the hardwired cynicism of many area residents is one of their biggest challenges. These Franciscans attack it by extolling the peace that comes with faith in Christ. “If you believe in Jesus, it doesn’t matter your circumstances,” Sister Ancilla says.
Yet they are just as effective in eliciting a change in attitude by their actions.
“The Sisters come in with such a positive attitude. It’s amazing to see how responsive people are to them,” Dorann Cobb, a parishioner at Holy Family, observes.
Fostering the faith
As much outreach as they do, the Sisters don’t ignore the spiritual aspects of Catholicism. They have added adoration on Fridays, the Rosary after Mass, and aid Mass and Communion services. Earlier this year, Sister Ancilla guided a young man through RCIA and into the Church during Holy Week.
But to the Sisters, their most important undertakings begin with the youngest members of the community. “The best way of reaching out is through the children,” Sister Ancilla says. “When we leave this mission, we will have planted the faith that will last forever.”
To that end, the Sisters have, with help, begun a children’s choir, hosted Vacation Bible School and a puppet ministry while also teaching Sunday School.
Their ability to sow the seeds of faith in the young people was perhaps best exemplified by Lynn Cobb, Dorann’s daughter. When I met with Sisters Imelda and Ancilla, I was also greeted by Lynn, who proudly exclaimed she had just celebrated her 35th holy Communion, a tally perhaps we all might keep.
“The Sisters have been really helpful in guiding her and making her understand what holy Communion really is,” says her mother, while outlining a few of the projects Lynn has also been involved with since the Sisters’ arrival. “Now she wants to maybe become a Sister.”
Daniel Markham, seasoned journalist, is editor-inchief of Metal Center News. His book 52 Masses: A Journey to Experience Catholicism Across America features Glenmary’s mission in Rutledge, Tennessee.
BELOW: One of Sister Imelda's ministries includes serving family and friends of those detained at Stewart Detention Center.
BOTTOM: Sister Ancilla served as lector at a Mass celebrated during Glenmary's Civil Rights pilgrimage in May.
Photo by Brother Jude Smith
A New Bishop for a Changing Church
The bishop of Knoxville has a message for those who live and serve in the rural areas of the United States: “You are important!”
BY OMAR CABRERA
Bishop
Beckman comes to the mountains with a welcome reputation for charity and approachability.
Bishop Mark Beckman was ordained the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Knoxville on July 26, 2024. Nicknamed the “Bishop of the Mountains,” he is no stranger to the rural areas in the United States or to Glenmary’s work there. Three of Glenmary’s missions (Grainger, Unicoi, and Union Counties) and the volunteer program at Joppa Mountain are located within his eastern Tennessee diocese.
Assistant Editor Omar Cabrera spoke with the newly ordained bishop to discuss Glenmary, the Church’s mission, and his growing diocese.
What is your general assessment of missionary religious communities like Glenmary, which bring the presence of Jesus and the Church to small towns and rural areas of the United States?
I think it's so important because the Catholic Church always has about it a missionary dimension. We're called to live and proclaim the good news of Jesus everywhere we go. In the rural South, especially, there are in fact many areas that have not yet experienced the witness of a vibrant Catholic community. I think the role that Glenmary plays in bringing that presence to rural areas in the South is so important, and especially here in the Diocese of Knoxville.
Did you know about Glenmary before becoming bishop of Knoxville?
My first awareness, probably real awareness of Glenmary, goes back all the way to early priesthood. I had a former classmate who went to college with me at St. Ambrose in Davenport, Iowa, and was a Glenmary lay missioner with his
wife. The two of them did mission work here in East Tennessee. In fact, I'm trying to remember where they were located, maybe near Maryville or someplace like that. I went to visit them and have a meal with them and spent the night with them. They were engaged in that work, and so they talked to me about how Glenmary reaches out to those areas where the Catholic Church hasn't been established yet.
After that, I got to know several of the Glenmary priests that had been active in the Diocese of Nashville, and even up in Kentucky, Father Frank Ruff, I think, one of the key priests, and heard about their work. I'm also aware that in the Diocese of Nashville, Glenmary did start parishes in counties that had never had Catholic churches, and then those became affiliated with the diocese when they grew large enough to sustain themselves.
How do you see this work related to the call that Pope Francis does that we should be a missionary Church?
Yes, Pope Francis has been very clear that the Church is called to go outside of herself always. So we don't stay focused on those who are already within the community, but the Church itself always has to turn outside ourselves and to reach out. I love the emphasis of Pope Francis on reaching out to those on the margins, on the edges. I think that we could say that those who are living in rural areas of the United States, and in the southern US in particular, in a certain way, they are people that are on the edges. Most of our country gets focused on large urban centers. I think it's important not to forget those beautiful rural areas in our country.
In the US, parishioners are increasing mostly in the South and some parts of the West. Most of these new Catholics, if not almost all of them, are Latinos. Is God telling us something with this trend, Bishop?
I've been speaking with priests throughout the Diocese of Knoxville since I've been here, and one of the things I've asked the priests is, “What do you love most about the Diocese of Knoxville?” One of the common themes that I've heard over and over is, because this is a young Church, only established since 1988, there is a lot of energy in this diocese and a lot of new Catholics. That has come up many times, how many new people are joining the Church.
I do think that being aware that we have many newcomers to our land from Latin America, Spanish-speaking, is very
important and that we as Church, because most of those come from a Catholic background, must be present and assist their total growth in the life of faith. And that's with worship, it's education, formation, and, of course, all the human needs.
I think it's very important that we acknowledge that these are big demographic shifts that are happening and that we are prepared to respond.
So, it’s a new diocese with a lot of new Catholics.
Yeah, it’s very new. It’s a new Church, one of the newest in the US. And because of that, it has a vibrant life. When I went to my first deanery Mass in Morristown and walked into the church, I would say 80% of the people looked to me like they were Spanish-speaking. And we had an interpreter there, and they translated the homily. I was so grateful for that.
Would you like to send a message to the Catholics, and in general, to the people who live in the Glenmary mission areas?
Yes. You are important! You belong to this great, beautiful human family that God has created. And God's desire, I think, ultimately, is that we all someday share a banquet feast together in the kingdom of God.
So it's important that we belong together, that we work together, and that we try to build in this world a foretaste of the heavenly banquet, where all are welcome at the table and all can share their gifts and all help one another.
I think that imagery from St. Paul the Apostle, that we're all part of one body and that all of us have been given gifts and that we're all invited to share those gifts for the sake of the common good is so important. That's Catholic and non-Catholic alike. It's everyone. It includes everybody.
It’s very important that we reach out to everyone. Because even persons who are not yet affiliated, and that's a growing population in the United States, everyone is searching for meaning and purpose in life. I believe we have something precious to offer in that search, so to help people to connect the yearnings of their heart with what we have discovered in Christ— that's the great opportunity.
Omar Cabrera is Glenmary’s manager of Spanish communications. He serves as editor of El Reto Glenmary.
I CROSS FROM Life to New Life
BY FATHER JOHN BROWN ( 1954 - 2024 )
Glenmary lost a great soul this past October. Father John Brown, who led many parishes and ministries over the decades, was felled by cancer. He knew for many months he was dying and was strong in his faith, writing about it and talking freely. Here is an excerpt from one of his later writings.
I am again experiencing the excitement, the fear, and the confidence of crossing a great sea. My days of life here grow short. I have good strength of spirit, but strength of body is wearing low. I hope that in this time that you and I can share my joy at our hopes that are becoming fulfilled, and that we can support each other with prayer. “Until we meet again” is both a hope expressed and a pledge that yes, we will meet again on the other shore.
I am letting go of the tools of my trade. In the last month I have given to others my chalice and vestments, my building and mechanic tools, my car keys, the first of many books
to go. All these have a history—who gave them to me, with whom I used them, the mission areas across the country where they have traveled with me as we worked with God’s people. With many emotions, I now pass them on, so that now they can go elsewhere, as I go on to cross the final sea.
I cannot give away my relationships with people. We are united in a holy spirit of life. I cannot drive to see you. I have less strength to talk on the phone or face-to-face, less energy to pray. But I do pray. You all are in my heart, my mind. I bring you to Jesus with me. Jesus still touches me through you.
Joel Pucheta, a parishioner and friend, received the same cancer diagnosis as I did. Now, he has crossed the sea a little bit before me. Yet he is still with us, just a little bit over the horizon. I want to see him, to see my blood relations and my spiritual family who have gone on ahead. I am distressed to say, “Until the other side” to you all still in this world. I also long to see you all again in the promised land so close. I hear “the sound of wings.” Soon.
My love is strong. No river, no sea has stopped the power of God’s love yet. I give you my love and blessings! Thanks for yours.
by
At a 5K charity fundraiser in Bertie County, NC, supporting Good Shepherd Food Pantry, Glenmary Brother Curt Kedley hands out ribbons near the finish line.
Photo
Brother David Henley
Illustration by Glenn McInnes